Featured & Trending:

Latest News Headlines:

(WSCR) One of the major criticisms of the Chicago Blackhawks last season was a lack of grit and toughness, especially among the defenseman. And judging by the free agent signings of general manager Stan Bowman, that need has been addressed.

One of those new additions, defenseman Sean O’Donnell, knows exactly what he’s supposed to bring to Chicago.

“I’m not a finesse guy,” O’Donnell said on the Danny Mac Show. “I think I’m a steady, stay-at-home guy, and as I’ve gotten a little bit older, you know, the frequency of how much I fight has gone down.”

O’Donnell recorded well over 100 penalty minutes in nine of his first 12 seasons in the in the NHL. But over the last five years, he’s averaged only 80.8 PIM per season. That doesn’t mean he’s unwilling to drop the gloves if the situation warrants it.

“If someone, obviously, takes liberties with someone on your team, or sometimes your team just needs a spark, and then you go and you do that,” O’Donnell said. “I think I’ve played as long as I’ve played becuase I’ve been able to read the game really well and … read our bench or read the room [and ask], ‘What does this team need?’ And go out there and be willing to do that.

“And I know [the Blackhawks] have a couple guys who are willing to do that too. So if there were problems with that, you know, I think that part of that has been addressed by some of the signings here in early July.”